Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

Since 2011, I have been teaching in Korea at ChungDahm's GangDong branch and have enjoyed everything about it. One of reasons why I ended up staying in Korea for so long is because of the people I've met. I have built relationships that will last me a lifetime, so when my colleague Erin Stuebben told me she was leaving I was really saddened. As she was packing for her move, I asked her if she could answer some questions for me She was great about it and on her last working day on Friday at 5AM in the morning, I got her email response. I was really touched that she did this for me. Below are her thoughts and experiences, from the beginning to end, of her time working for ChungDahm and living in Korea:

Living and teaching in Korea creates opportunities to learn a new culture and speak a new language. With this experience arises the chance to make life-long friends across cultural barriers. Like every encounter living abroad, you have to put yourself out there and do what the "Romans do in Rome" and as in Korea..."Do what the "Koreans do in Korea."

If you are interested in meeting friends and trying a variety of activities while living in Koea then I highly recommend using the new social networking app called Meetup. This app is fantastic for foreigners living and teaching in Korea. It is great for anyone who wants to discover groups outside of work that share common interests and have a desire to meet people outside of their regular teaching circle. For example, there are plenty of hiking groups, running groups, socializing groups and cultural experience groups that meet regularly around Korea or in your area. Also, the great thing about the app is that it is brings all types of people together and not only foreign teachers.

Many of my Korean friends say that I am an ‘honorary Korean’ who doesn’t know a lot of Korean. Living in Korea for the past three years, I have seen a lot, learned a lot and experienced a lot to the point that I have started to feel like I have been immersed and assimilated into the Korean culture. The Korean people have a great culture and if you live and work here, you have to try out. One of my favorite Korean pastimes is the company party or the ‘회식’. I am lucky to be part of the ChungDahm branch that I am in because we have a company party every few months (Thanks Boss!).

Before I leave Korea, I plan to see all five of the palaces in Seoul. While Gyeongbokgung has been my favorite from what I've seen so far, I have to give credit to Changdeokgung as well. It's a beautiful palace and it boasts something other other palaces don't: a secret garden. Now that the temperatures are dropping and the leaves are starting to fall from the trees, it's prime palace visiting season here in Korea!

Hopefully while living in Korea, you will get to experience a Korean wedding. It is extremely different from those that I have gone to in the West. Typically, weddings in America and Canada are all day events. Weddings there consist of the ceremony, dinner service, and then drinks and a party to round out the night. When I went to my first Korean wedding, it was a shocker. I think in total, the wedding ceremony was 25 minutes. Here are a few reasons why it is like that and here are some expectations when you do go to a Korean wedding.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my Daejeon Citizen soccer (big win against Daegu the other day for all those wondering). They are my one true Korean sports love, but like with some relationships, sometimes you find yourself longing for something better. Just like when a man at a football game with his girlfriend sneaks a glance at the gorgeous cheerleaders prancing on the sidelines, lately I have been gazing longingly at a more beautiful brand of soccer. I am talking about the FIFA World Cup, the most popular sporting event in the world, which is currently taking place in Brazil. While a challenge, watching the World Cup in a passionate country like South Korea has proven to be immensely enjoyable, much like a beautiful Messi goal sublimely curled into the top corner. I have some tips for all fans of the jogo bonito on how to maximize your World Cup experience in South Korea.

Last week, I posted part one of my blogs on the annual Lotus Lantern Festival, thrown in honor of Buddha's Birthday in Seoul. After we spent some time last weekend walking around Jogyesa and taking billions of photos of the lanterns, it was time for my favorite part of the festival: the Lantern Parade.

At this point in my life, I have been to what seems like a million weddings. A good number of friends from high school and college have gotten married in the past decade, so I feel like I have a solid understanding of how the typical wedding in the West works. Recently, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a Korean friend and it was really interesting to compare weddings in Korea to what I'd seen back home...

Korea has a real knack and penchant for festivals, which is something I've really come to love about living in this country. It seems like nearly every weekend there's something going on, and I've tried my hardest to check out as much as I can. But as November rolls back around, the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul lights up with fancy lanterns, signaling the start of one of my favorite festivals in Korea.